3 Centuries of Dawn
by MangAsian13
Summary: Set a few years after the original movie. Merida is forced to marry in order to prevent a war from occurring with a nearby kingdom. However, in this alliance, her marriage is loveless and she passes every day in resentment. Under the pressure of the crown, she escapes the castle and meets the village people. Among the village people is the brothel owner, Jack Frost. AU Human Jack.
1. Prologue

**3 Centuries of Dawn****  
**

_For a good friend who loves Jarida _

**Prologue**

"The wedding shall commence!"

The cheers of the crowd roared. Flowers and accessories were thrown into the air as if something rare and triumphant had occurred. Well, it had. Unfortunately.

With hair compressed by the tight, rubbery elastic connected with her white gown, Merida stood behind the door of the furniture filled dressing room, uncharacteristically silent as the uproar continued. With shaking hands, she peeked through the slight opening of the door. There he was, Mathias Gallach, her so called 'beloved fiance' which she never asked for. His hair wild and dark even under the brightly lit sky, his poised stand, strict and rigid, juxtaposing with the wild tangent which surrounded him. He also remained in brooding.

There was fear that loomed over her as her mother sauntered by, gently closing the door. Elinor grinned at her daughter, firm but gentle eyes resonated through her brown irises and she cupped her hands on both of Merida's cheeks.

"Now, you know how much this means to us," Elinor spoke softly, caressing Merida's flesh, "But don't fret too much. Mathias is a good man, you'll grow to like him."

Merida clenched her jaw, and shifted her resilient blue eyes away from Elinor. However, she continued to be icy silent, and brushed the condescending hands off of her. Marching away, Merida grabbed handfuls of her gown which clung tightly around her waist, the corset made her wheeze and dizzy.

Her back still faced Elinor, but suddenly the serving girl rushed in. She rammed into the door before she swung it open, knocking the furniture beside it over. Merida turned around slowly, only to be met by a beaming face filled with ridiculous joy. That joy just made Merida want to shoot someone.

" It's time!"

Elinor jumped up frantically and dashed over to Merida. She brushed off every inch of dirt and dust from her daughter's body, briefly fixed the creases by hand flattening them, and violently shoved any loose curls back into the stupendously tight head piece. Within minutes, Elinor slid open one of the drawers next to them and pulled out a crown. It glittered under the dim sunlight that streamed from the small windows. Simple but sophisticated as the crimson rubies was tangled in a swirl of gold. Merida stared at it in awe.

With a proud smile, Elinor smiled, "Here, your father and I want you to have this. We've been preparing it since you were wee lamb, but now you're a beautiful grown woman," she paused in deep thought, "And we think, no, we know you are capable of being the best Queen there could possibly be."

The amount of pride in her mother's tone made Merida inhaled sharply. The pressure was like an iron slate smacked upon on her shoulders. She forced the tears back and stood up tall. Taking the crown, feeling the heavy weight of it pushing at her hands, she placed it upon her head.

There was no turning back now.

* * *

I've been sorta obsessed with Jarida because a friend of mine convinced me how beautiful this pairing was, so I decided to write this story just for her haha. Hope you enjoyed it, plus, I don't have a beta so if there are any grammatical or spelling mistakes (major and minor) they are all mine :). And of course, I do this for fun and for free so I don't own the characters in this story expect for a couple of OCs like Mathias.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The castle walls were restrictive. Merida gazed out of the tiny bedroom window onto the courtyard. It had been over a year since she left DunBroch to live in her husband's kingdom. Her first memory was that the castle was huge and ominous, the tips of the cone rooftops like the end a new nail. There was nothing truly happy about the place. The thoroughbred horses in the stables grunted at Angus, and the stable boy, timid and frail in appearance didn't seem strong enough to care for himself let alone the horses. Aside from stone, the castle was littered with bits of metal and rotting wood.

It wasn't that Mathias was cruel. It was rather, due to the circumstances within in his kingdom, he advised Merida to remain indoors. Advised meaning, he shoved her in her chambers and locked the door. Merida had day and night, waited on her crimson covered bed, waiting for Mathias to return and allowing her out of this prison. However, the only sound she heard was the resonating footsteps that echoed outside the stone walls of her chamber. And no one came.

She wasn't even allowed to see Angus.

Silently, she peered at her bow which hid alone under the couch by the flickering fire. Mathias had ordered his guards to retrieve the arrows from her. _Probably feared I'll attack him if I had the chance_. Merida scowled at the thought, anger prickled in her gut.

Today, she watched as Mathias flung around his new sword pretentiously. His stupidly wide grin plastered on his face like a Cheshire Cat, and his long brown hair tied up in a loose ponytail was all tangled. Surrounding him was his group of pompous knights who just sat around all day and merely swung a few lazy attacks at each other, only to complain about the heat and the weight of their armour.

King Fergus and Queen Elinor had written to her with high hopes. Though her mother was strict before her transformation into a bear, she wasn't that much more lenient in the matters of princessly etiquette. Which quite frankly, Merida didn't have. Her father always asked whether Mathias was a good archer. Merida always spent hours contemplating whether a lie was better told than the truth. Her little brothers, barely wrote as they were too busy being hassled by Elinor about princely etiquette - and for that, Merida told them where to hide and when.

"Princess, your food."

Merida's serving girl, Annette, was from the south. She was also Merida's only friend for the past year. The girl was half a head shorter than Merida with dull blonde hair that was tied up in loose plaits at the base of her neck. Her soft blue eyes were a match with Merida's and she had an extremely expressive face for a reserved girl. They met on the first day, and since then knew everything about each other.

"Annie! I told you to stop callin' me that!" Merida beamed.

Annette placed the tray of food on the table which was next to Merida by the window. She dusted off her grey serving dress and rolled her eyes, "But that's what you are, princess."

"I am hardly a princess if my people don't even see me!" Merida exclaimed, falling into the seat Annette pulled out for her, "What's the point of bein' a princess if you're always locked up?!"

"Mathias is only trying to protect you. You know that," Annette stated as she pulled out a duster from the pocket of her dress and started cleaning, "Besides, there's nothing much to do around here anyway."

Merida grabbed an apple and chomped it, "And why's that?"

Annette raised her eyebrow, "Princess, don't talk with your mouth full."

"Jeez, you sound like my mother," Merida glared playfully, "But really, why's it so 'dangerous' out there?"

Putting down the duster, Annette scooted closer to Merida, dragged a chair with her and sat down. Her face inches from Merida's she whispered, "I heard the late King has gone mad!"

Question flickered in Merida's eyes, "What do you mean?"

"Rumour says, King Gallach has no interests in continuing this truce with your family. That's why he's locking you up," Annette murmured, her expression growing more and more intense.

"But that's not possible, he was there at the arrangement!" Merida hissed in disbelief, "I saw him sign that contract with father!"

Annette gave her a stern look, "And since when has Gallach ever fully obliged to such treaties?"

"I won't believe it!" Merida protested, standing abruptly, her chair tumbled backwards with a thud, "This is cannot be happening! I saw him at the arrangement, he signed that contract and he'd better follow it! This is just a rumour anyways! I won't believe it."

There was a tense silence, only the sound of Merida's pants filled it. Annette slowly rose from her seat and dusted it. She stood straight and poised in front of her, the tips of her mouth curved downwards.

"Then would you like to leave?"

Merida blinked, "W-What?"

"I know I hardly have the power to help you separate yourself from Prince Mathias forever, but I can help you find a temporary escape."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

Annette heaved a sigh, "Pardon my opinion, but the royalty here are absurd and need discipline. You however, are an exception. I have wanted to tell you this earlier, but with the circumstances… It deemed rather difficult."

_Well isn't that ironic_, Merida suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at her friend's statement, "And…?"

"And… There's this place in the village where you can stay. Uncle owns it and I'm sure you'll be safe there. Plus, I doubt the guards will even notice you're gone especially after this whole year where you've basically been invisible to the rest of the kingdom," Annette hushed. Hesitantly, she gazed up into Merida's eyes, "Do you trust me?"

Without a second thought, Merida exclaimed, "Of course I do-"

"Shush! You don't want people to be suspicious!" Annette chastised.

"I thought you said the guards have forgotten 'bout me?!"

"They have, but Mathias hasn't!" she said seriously, "You're hair is too red and too DunBroch-like. Better cover it."

Annette rummaged around the closet and dragged out a dark leather cloak. It's hood was huge. She rushed over to Merida and shoved the cloak over her head and yanked the hood over her wild hair. Merida straightened herself out.

"What now?" Merida asked, she quickly grabbed her bow from under the coach.

"Don't take that," Annette frowned at Merida, "It's too noticeable and it'll hinder our movements."

"But this is my important bow! I can't just leave it!" Merida cried, hugging the item close to her chest.

Annette pursed her lips, "I know it's important, but we just can't risk it."

"But…" Merida gulped. It was either take this bow and be caught by the guards or worse Mathias, or leave behind the only thing that reminded her of her childhood. Merida teared up, "Then what 'bout Angus?"

"We're not going so far away. We'll be staying in the village," Annette smiled, "You'll see him, trust me."

With that in mind, Merida sighed in relief. Reluctantly, she carefully placed her bow and arrow under her bed, hoping nobody would find it. Annette grabbed her hand and quietly creaked open the door. There was nobody there along the long, stone hallway that curved towards a flight of stairs. The lanterns were out and the lack of light made the place eerie.

Confidently, Annette pulled Merida along. Down the stairs and into the open. Merida winced at the blinding sunlight that attacked her eyes. She gripped onto Annette's hand and they hurried away from the open and back against a stone wall. The guards were marching back and forth on top of the wall. The laughter could be heard from the courtyard and Merida feared the Mathias would somehow intuitively realise her escape. But the tight hold of Annette's hand reassured her.

"Here."

Merida was forced into a hole made from under the stone wall. The dirt puffed up from beside her and clogged up her breathing. Coughing violently, Merida felt faint. A pair of hands reached for her arms, their grip tightened as they heaved her out from under the stone wall. Sweat covered, the hands slipped around the flesh of her wrists.

Suddenly, she could breath.

"Are you alright Missus?"

Merida coughed and was about to rub her eyes, "You don't wanna do that Missus, your hands are dirty," the voice was a touch high and had a odd tilt of an unknown accent, "Here have some water."

A chill spread over her hands as the liquid flowed down her arm, soaking her sleeves. Merida rubbed her eyes and squinted. A blurred shape cleared and she saw a thin man with dark brown stubble scattered across his chin and ruffly brown hair. He was in presumably white rags and long tattered trousers.

"Where's Annie?"

The man stared at the wall, "Annette said she'll stay behind and keep 'em guards off your tail if they find out you're gone."

He smiled, his crooked teeth in full view, "Me name's Cedric, but you can call me Ced."

"Do you know Annette?" Merida queried, unsure whether the man was trustworthy. She pushed herself up and stood in front of him with stubborn eyes.

"I do. She's was a wee lamp when I first saw her," he chuckled to himself.

"Oh…" Merida paused, still uncertain, "It's wee lamb by the way, not wee lamp."

"Pardon me then," Cedric laughed, "We should get goin' now."

As the man wandered off into the thick woods, Merida stumbled after him, "Hey, where are we going?"

Cedric slowed down and waited for Merida to catch up, "We're going to the village."

"I know that!" Merida said, "I mean where exactly am I going to stay?"

They continued walking through the quiet forest. The birds were the singing softly and the rustling of the canopies sung with them. Every now and then, Cedric would push aside a straying branch or fern. Merida curiously peered at the abundance of white spotted mushrooms that sprouted from the sides of trees and across the woodland floor. The sunlight dimmed behind the clouds.

After some seemingly unnecessary thought, Cedric replied, "Annette's uncle works as a blacksmith in the village. That's where you'll be staying."

With that, they remained silent as they traveled through the woods.

* * *

By the time they arrived at the village, it was dusk. The sky highlighted pink and orange sprayed over the thatched roofs of the village. There were chattering and bickering, the animals whining for dinner, and entertainers creating laughter by the small well surrounded by instruments. The place was a mixture of aromas, dung, compost to jasmine and the sweet scent of freshly cooked food. Merida's stomach grumbled and a blush as red as her hair emanated across her cheeks.

"That over there," Cedric pointed to the house with weapons lined up in front of it, "Is where the Uncle lives. Now, he's a bit quiet, and a little hard to get to know, but you'll grow to like 'im."

Nodding, Merida struggled to maneuver through the crowd which surrounded a young man with white hair. Merida peered at him in curiosity, but was only to be dragged off further away. Cedric had a huge smile on his face when he entered the boiling hot room. The heat from the fire caused heatwaves to waver everywhere.

A gigantic man with a blond mustache and a viking helmet limped out. He was covered in sweat and his wooden leg appeared far too unstable for a person of his size to stand on. Merida gaped at him, and decided not to utter a word as she followed Cedric.

"AH! How are ya doin' Ceddie?!" the man exclaimed, giving Cedric an enormous bear hug.

"Gobber!" Cedric laughed, "I thought ye were off duty today!"

"I am. But we got a new apprentice, and Artair wanted him to be trained," Gobber boasted. In some ways, Merida felt that the Viking reminded her of her father, King Fergus.

"Now who's this young lady?"

Merida asserted herself and held her head high, "I'm Merida, first born descendant of the DunBroch clan in the Scottish highlands."

There was a brief silence, "Well, she's certainly a high spirited one."

Cedric let out a weary laugh, and peered at Merida's gobsmacked face. She stood dumbfounded at the fact that this Gobber man didn't know who she was. _I'm their princess for goodness sake!_ She bit her lip to stop herself from retorting.

Gobber obviously didn't notice Merida's discontentment or chose to ignore it, "Since you're Merida of the Du… whatever, Artair is waiting for you upstairs," he turned to Cedric, "You cover for me, Hiccup's a natural, but he's a bit… on the weak side."

"I'll be right at it."

As Cedric dashed off into the workshop, Merida stood perplexed and abandoned as Gobber focused on the task at hand and started descending to the stairs.

He glanced at her, "Well, Merida are you coming or what?"

Merida jumped in surprise and nodded vigorously. She gripped onto her dress and followed Gobber up the wooden stairs. There was a low door and a small hole for a window that allowed light in. Gobber violently knocked on the door with his hooked hand.

A muffled groan was heard from behind the door and Merida felt her heart escalate. The knob creaked as it turned and the door opened revealing a middle-aged man with long dull blond hair like Annette's but deep grey eyes like slabs of steel. He was tall and slightly round around the cheeks but fit nonetheless, he had dark bags under his eyes screaming for the need of sleep. Merida pursed her lips.

"This here is Merida from Du… Du…" Gobber struggled.

Merida rolled her eyes, "Merida from DunBroch. Are you Annie's uncle?"

He didn't reply for a minute, seeming like he'd fall asleep any second, but a small grin graced his features, "Annie has spoken a lot about you."

"Did she?"

He nodded, "I'm Artair."

"So you're the blacksmith."

"The one and only. Well, in this village that is."

Artair turned to Gobber, "You should go rest, that leg of yours needs serious fixing."

Gobber shrugged, "I'm working on a new and improved metal leg. Speaking of which, I should check on Cedric and see if Hiccup hasn't burnt down the shop."

The two waved, leaving Merida standing awkwardly. She pulled down her hood and allowed her hair to spring like a live fire. Artair grinned, "Come in, make yourself at home."

* * *

So Jack has appeared... Briefly :P. Dreamwork's 'How to Train Your Dragon' is in this story too as well as Disney's 'Tangled' (but Rapunzel will come later). Thus this is sorta like a 'Big Four' fanfic, but mainly focusing on Jarida. Thanks for reading :).


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Artair's room was a mess. Sheets of paper littered everywhere, on each of them rough, bold sketches of designs he probably threw away, books dusty and tattered lined awkwardly on the cracked boards of the shelve. The floor under Merida's feet creaked and groaned as she motioned to the lone chair that stood out of place and clean around a pile of random bits and pieces of loose bolts and metal.

The room was part bedroom, part study. The study was on the right which Merida first saw and it looked like a civil war had erupted; the bed on the left was placed under an open window whilst the dusty wooden cupboard was by the foot of the bed, next to the window. Artair swung open the cupboard door, bearing no mind to the moan it made. Inside was an unruly pile of gowns and clothing. Some in greens, reds and blues, most in brown.

"Your clothes," he pointed out blandly, "Annette had taken some of your gowns beforehand. So you don't need to worry about it fitting or anything."

There was a loud cry from downstairs. The two jolted and Artair quietly sighed, rubbing his temples in agony. He gave Merida an apologetic glance before he rushed to the door. Pausing suddenly, he tilted his head at Merida, "Oh, by the way, this will be your room from now on," he sent her a tired grin as he yelled at them to calm down and whammed the door shut in his haste.

"Well, that was welcoming," Merida grumbled, feeling discomfort as the wooden chair pricked at her bottom whenever she moved.

In boredom, Merida stood up and trudged to the bed - which was about as exciting to look at as the wooden wall beside it. Night had fallen, the stars glinted as Merida peeped her head out from the window and extended half her torso out, kneeling on the bed. She caught sight of the luminescent full moon as it seemingly smiled at her. A faint buzz crescendos near her ear.

Besides the sky, the only other thing visible was the two storey house next door. A shut window and a failed attempt of a wooden balcony was in front of Merida. The buzzing from before was determined to pester her. Crying out in frustration, Merida clawed at the sound. Her hand whacked against something small and feathery. It whimpered and crashed onto the intersection of the window.

The creature was covered in splashes of blue and green. Its wings like an insect's, but its nose like a hummingbird. Bright purple eyes gazed up at Merida, begging for mercy.

"What are you…?"

Carefully, Merida reached for the creature, but it flinched and pushed closer to the wall, curling itself into a tight ball. Suppressing her impulses to merely grab it, Merida gently picked it up with her fingers and placed it softly onto her palm. She gasped. The wing was bent with a tear in the middle.

"I need to get you to the physician!"

The creature squeaked and shook its head in alarm. During that process, it tumbled backward and landed in a heap on the window again. As Merida was about to pick it up again, a loud call caught the creature's attention and it perked its head up in relief at the call.

"Baby Tooth! Baby Tooth!"

The voice was male and Merida assumed 'Baby Tooth' was the creature in front of her. Leaning out further to get the man's attention, Merida pushed Baby Tooth out of the way and yelled.

"Excuse me! Is this what you're looking for?!"

It was difficult to see through the gap between the two buildings. The closeness of the buildings also made it even harder for the man to pinpoint where the voice came from. Merida continued calling, and the man called back as they struggled to find each other. Finally, between the narrow gap, a white haired man appeared. He was wearing a loose brown cloak that looked like a cape and skin tight deer skin pants. He wandered about, spinning around as he called back. Merida vigorously waved both her arms while she yelled, he turned to her direction and paused.

"OVER HERE!"

The man cautiously walked over towards where Merida was, "WHERE?"

"I'm waving my arms!" Merida exclaimed in exhaustion, but he had started to wander away from her. Merida yelled, "YOU IDIOT!"

He flinched, and turned back to Merida's direction, "It's too dark! I can't see you!"

Merida grumbled to herself, stopped flailing her arms about and watched the man skim the area in of him. For a moment his bright blue eyes met Merida's. She inhaled sharply.

Giving up, he threw his arms in the air and swung it back down, "WHAT'S YOUR NAME?" he shouted into the dark gap between the two houses. Blinking, he thought he saw a dull matte of red in the blur of darkness. Tightly, he gripped onto the hut wall and tried to peer in. A silhouette of a woman and a huge mane of hair caught his sight.

"I'M MERIDA!" her voice resonated.

The man stared up at her. Merida frowned as he seemed to squint as he gazed at her, "I'M JACK!"

A huge smile graced his pale face, "I can trust you with Baby Tooth, right?!"

Merida glanced at the frail creature as it curled up in a ball. It shivered, and Merida quickly scooted to the closet and struggled to rummage through the mountains of clothing piled inside it. Among the clothing was a lone wax candle. Grabbing the candle and a random piece of cloth, Merida dashed back onto the bed and extended her torso outside the window. She placed the cloth over Baby Tooth and smiled when it snuggled it.

When Merida was about to call for Jack again, he had disappeared.

* * *

A rooster screamed. The morning sun bathed the landscape with its streams of golden light. Merida had fallen asleep beside Baby Tooth, her head tucked in between her crossed arms on the window. Her hair splayed everywhere and loose strands hung idly out the window. A light breeze whistled past and the village began to wake.

Baby Tooth rubbed its eyes, the cloth slipped down as it sat up. Plucking its lips, it stared at the head of red in front of it with dazed eyes. Quickly, Baby Tooth snapped back to reality and it squeaked. It frantically buzzed its wings only find a sting explode across its back. Out of desperation, Baby Tooth crawled over to Merida and tugged at the strand of curly hair.

With a loud yelp, Merida jerked awake and glared down at Baby Tooth. But Baby Tooth had already lost consciousness. Merida gasped, carefully picked it up, stumbled out of bed and rushed out the room, slamming the door closed. Down the stairs, Merida entered the smithy, only to find tools scattered across the floor, all over the tables and some hung in a line of clutter on the wooden walls.

There was a muffled curse. Merida swiftly hopped over the tools and roamed away from the sharp objects. As she wandered further into the workshop, the voice was accompanied with Artair's frustrated one. There was a room with the banging sound of metal against metal and the exclamations of hate that were no longer muffled as Merida drew closer and closer. Not wanting to disturb them in a moment of argument, Merida stuck close to the wall and peered through the crack of the door.

Inside was a private workshop. Miniature scraps of designs hung about, a small burning forge and a bench that was attached to the wall away from the fire. There was a short boy with brown hair dyed with soot. He was whamming against a metal sword with a hammer. Artair was rubbing his temples and glared at the boy. Grey eyes clashed with grass green. Artair scowled at the boy, but uttered nothing. He just stormed off towards the door.

Artair slammed the door open and came face to face with a confused Merida. Smiling awkwardly, Merida hastily hid Baby Tooth behind her back. Without a sound, Artair marched off out of the smithy and she could hear the BANG of the front door close. Then a loud thud as the fragile wooden door tumbled down onto the ground.

The boy's slouched back faced Merida. He dropped the hammer and sighed like he had just aged a million years. Merida strolled inside, bit her lip and tapped the boy on the shoulder. He turned around and he blinked. His eyebrows knotted, and out of sudden realisation of something Merida wasn't sure of, he blushed like a furnace.

"I need help," Merida announced brashly.

He blinked again, "F-For what?"

Heaving loudly, Merida straightened herself up and eyed the boy with serious eyes, "I need a physician right now," she stated solemnly, and the boy just stared at her.

"What?" he scanned her up and down, "You look fine…" his eyes widened, "Um, not saying that you have to have problems in the first place that is."

The blush flushed all across his face as if he said something naughty. Merida frowned in confusion and rolled her eyes at the boy's hesitance, "Where is the physician?"

He blinked for the a thousandth time this morning, and Merida wanted to pin his eyelids open. Muttering something under his breath, he tidied up the bench which was originally covered in dragon sketches. Merida decided to make no comment about those. He smoked out the fire in the forge and tidied up everything else before turning to Merida with a timid grin on his face.

"I'll take you there."

They had left the smithy and the boy had quietly introduced himself as 'Hamish Haddock' but he was nicknamed 'Hiccup' instead. Presumably for his small and timid demeanor. He had muttered something about Viking culture that Merida couldn't understand.

It was still quiet, with only a few early birds who strolled to and fro in a sleepy daze as they went about their morning routine. Hiccup managed to tread on a stray piece of faeces with his metal leg which, much to his dismay, sent Merida into a laughing fit. By the time they reached the physician's house, the village was once again bustling with life. Which meant Merida had to drag Hiccup there as fast as she could so she didn't have to cue.

"Whoa, person with an immobilised leg here!" Hiccup cried out as he limped along with Merida's quick strides.

Merida rolled her eyes, "For goodness sake Hiccup. Just do what I tell you to."

The mass of people who tried to stampede their way to the physician's were all intercepted by Merida. With a dramatic cry, she wedged open the door.

"What is this ruckus in the morning?!"

An elderly woman waddled towards the patients, her hands on her hips. She gave everyone the look of scrutiny which sent most of them cowering away with their tail between their legs. Merida stepped forward and tugged Hiccup along with her.

Unclenching her hand, Merida revealed Baby Tooth. It was wheezing and struggled to breath, sweat made its feathers cling to its skin. Merida felt guilt rush through as she realised she had held onto Baby Tooth too tightly. The woman raised her eyebrow and sighed.

"We do not treat beasts here. If you want a healer, go to that house over there," she croaked.

It was a house that was splattered with colours of a rainbow. It was taller than the other buildings, resembling a tower. Surrounded by a patch of forest, it looked isolated and surprisingly unwelcoming. Hiccup tugged on Merida's sleeve and shook his head.

"But Gothel lives there, " he squeaked, "Merida, this, this is a bad idea."

Merida simply stared at him, "And why's that?"

The woman puffed her chest out in annoyance. She pushed the two out of the doorway and slammed it in their face. The other patients all cowered away from them and basically shoved into the room like a fat ball. People simply clambering over and under each other. The woman was scolding them and screaming. A few passersby merely snickered at the display.

"Don't mind her, " Hiccup rubbed his face and groaned, soot from his hand stained on his cheeks, "That's Gretel, she's a bit aggressive."

Merida shook her head and smiled before walking off to the tower's direction. That made Hiccup pale and he quickly dashed up to Merida and pulled her away. With irritated eyes, Merida glared at Hiccup and opened her hand. Baby Tooth was now bright red which clashed with its beautiful green and blue feathers. Hiccup gaped and gulped.

"Fine, we're going to Gothel, but we're never going there ever again after this," Hiccup distressed, "Understand?"

With a grateful grin, Merida nodded. A voice chimed in her mind as she and Hiccup wandered away from the physician's place. A crowd of people were already out and about, loud and chattering. Mules were pulling carts of hay and goods from the gates of the village and cattle groaned as their owners dragged them out for morning work. They passed the well which was built at the heart of the village. A group of entertainers were preparing their instruments. Two of the entertainers were bickering like mad, drawing in a large crowd. A head of white caught Merida's attention and a stunning woman covered in green and blue glistening feathers.

_I can trust you with Baby Tooth, right?!_

"Oh look, it's Jack."

Merida whipped her head around and blinked, "Jack?"

Hiccup nodded absentmindedly, "Yeah, he's really popular around here. You know, his father owned a brothel. Heard his father died earlier this year, so he's the owner now," he shrugged casually, "Customers love him."

_I'M JACK._

"Brothel owner?!" Merida halted, she spun around and stared with wide eyes at Jack who was charming the panties off the women and laughing with the children who were poking fun at his abnormally white hair.

He looked up.

Jack raised his eyebrow at Merida and a cheeky smirk graced his features. Heat rushed from Merida's gut and up to her face. There were a million butterflies fluttering in her stomach desperate to get out. But, there was no recognition evident in his clear eyes. He eventually turned his attention away from Merida and back to the eager girl who was holding an unusually shaped stick.

"Merida?"

Hiccup gazed up at her with an expression of concern. Merida smiled awkwardly, "W-What? It's nothing," she laughed uncomfortably before strolling off to the healer's.

They reached the borders of the village and came face to face with the shadows of the woods. It was strangely dark compared to the rest of the village and it didn't seem affected by the sunlight. Like a cat, Merida quietly wandered into the woods. Hiccup wasn't quite as quiet and caught his metal foot onto a protruding root and slammed face first onto the leafy woodland floor.

Merida sighed, "How do you survive being a blacksmith without killin' yourself?!"

From the ground, Hiccup groaned and pushed himself up. Brushing off the dirt, he ran his hand over his hair grimaced at the soot that came off. Merida rolled her eyes and dragged Hiccup through the woods by the sleeve, ignoring the cries and yelps that came from the boy. It was violent trip of ripping ferns and twigs that were in the way, bustling over and under the rocks and roots in the almost pitch black surrounding. Hiccup clung onto Merida the whole time.

After all that, they reached the house. It was literally covered in yellow and pink, the roof was a cone shape and a large window was beside an arched stone door. A black cloaked man stood by the door, puffing a miniature tuft of dry grass wrapped in a roll of presumably light brown paper and the ends were burnt. As the smoke whirled about, the black mare beside him was snorting as if complaining about the toxic fumes. What made Merida gape was the light grey skin that stood out from the yellow stone walls.

Abruptly, a woman stormed out. Her wild, black curled hair sticking up everywhere. Her large eyes were raging as she yelled at the black cloaked man who merely rolled his eyes at her. Merida and Hiccup stood from a distance as the couple quarreled. The woman swatted the man's hand and the thing he was smoking fell to the ground. She stomped on it and snarled at him like a fierce lioness. The man glared at her. He returned her snarl and revealed a row of sharp jagged teeth.

Baby Tooth whimpered in Merida's hand. Without a second thought, Merida marched up to the bickering couple. Hiccup squeaked and he tagged along after her reluctantly. As Merida and Hiccup decided to approach them, she realised that the man's eyes glinted golden. _The people here have such strange appearances…_ Merida pondered to herself.

The woman which Merida assumed was Gothel, snapped her attention to the Merida and Hiccup. Like a flash of light, she quickly morphed her agitated expression to one of pleasure. She straightened her posture and smiled seductively. Hiccup winced and shrunk behind Merida.

"Hello, how may I help you?" she grinned. The man grunted and rolled his gold eyes. She shot him a death glare before immediately returning her attention back to Merida.

Merida unclenched her hand, revealing Baby Tooth who was curled up in giant mush of red, green and blue. The man widened his eyes.

"Where did you get that?" he questioned, a wealthy accent evident in his voice.

Uncertain whether to trust the man, Merida didn't answer and just stared at Gothel with desperate eyes. Gothel carefully picked up Baby Tooth and examined it. She frowned and hummed before she placed Baby Tooth in her hand and went to her house. As Gothel wrenched the door open, Merida followed and Hiccup awkwardly strolled in after them, carefully avoiding contact with the looming tall man behind him. Gothel placed Baby Tooth on a soft pile of white cloth on a table.

The room was just as colourful as the outside. Walls were painted all sorts of colours and patterns. The ceiling was an abundance of colour, with a patterns of a sun scattered across it. A purple queen sized bed was shoved at the side and a stove that was next to it. A gigantic painting of a city and lanterns floating in the air stood out as the red curtains were draw apart.

"Darling, get me my potion," Gothel drawled, waving her hand casually. When the man made no move to budge, she raised her voice, "Pitch…"

Pitch growled, "Ah _honey_, I thought you didn't _need_ me anymore."

Nevertheless, he grumbled and went and did her bidding. Merida merely watched as Pitch rummaged through a giant shelf filled with vials and jars of stuff nobody would want to mention. Gothel clicked her fingers as if something came to mind.

"Pitch_ dear_, forget the potion, I've got a better idea," she smirked as she sauntered off to a lone door. Merida and Hiccup glanced at each other and shrugged.

With an agitated tone, Pitch exclaimed, "Will you stop with the endearments?!"

Gothel simply cackled, swung the door open and disappearing into the room. They could hear mumbling from behind the door and before long, Gothel was dragging a huge strip of blonde hair from the room. The hair was so long that it reached from the inside the room and all the way to the other side towards the table where Baby Tooth was.

"Well, that's totally not suspicious," Hiccup grumbled.

Merida watched intensely as Gothel wrapped up Baby Tooth with the hair. The door of the room closed suddenly and a loud muffled sound of a song emanated from the room. A gush of golden light streamed through the hair like a rushing river. As the song died down, Gothel unwrapped Baby Tooth and handed it over to Merida who stared in awe at the now repaired wing on the creature's back. Hiccup inhaled sharply whilst Pitch rolled his eyes for the hundredth time today.

"Now that the darling is fixed…" Gothel said in a hurry, "You can go now."

She basically shoved the two of them out and before they knew it, Merida and Hiccup were standing dumbfounded outside as the door was slammed shut in their face. There was a quiet muffle of an argument that was stirred up by Pitch and Gothel again. However, to their surprise they could hear a third voice. A voice of a young girl who was speaking in distress.

Both Merida and Hiccup gaped at each other and nodded to each in silent agreement. They were not going back to this house ever again. With Baby Tooth all healed in Merida's grasp, they set off back to the village. Flustered and pleased, Merida was eager to return Baby Tooth to Jack tonight.

* * *

Hey, so... Jack and Merida sort of meet. Sort of :P. I thought it'd be way to soon for them to suddenly hit off. And, so... Pitch x Gothel, who would've known XD (currently in love with this couple as well - I should really stop and stick to one haha). Thank you guys for reviewing and reading the story - that makes me happy :D.  
**Replies:**  
animaniaaaa: Thank you for reviewing X3  
Rania: Hey man! Of course I'd write this for you! *coughs* not because you always go on about Jarida *coughs* :P. But damn you, got me so into this ship now!  
LightMyBulb: Yeah, thanks for telling me man. I didn't notice that I spelt his name wrong. So I fixed it (deleted the chapter and corrected the name). I appreciate it :)


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Back at the smithy, Gobber and Cedric were busy molding metal into weaponry. Merida and Hiccup strolled in, avoiding the cracked door that lay on the ground covered in dust. Artair was still missing from his previous tangent which left Cedric in a panicked frenzy and Gobber in utter annoyance. The two watched as Gobber chastised Cedric for bending the sword too far, and Cedric yelping as the heat burnt his finger. All in all, the place was like a giant metal trap ready to cause chaos.

Gobber looked up from his work, "Ah Hiccup, I see you met Merida from-"

Merida raised her hand, "No need, just Merida is fine."

The man sent her a bemused stare, "Well, whatever makes you happy I suppose."

He basically ignored Merida after that and turned his attention fully on Hiccup, "Now where were you? Artair came back in a raging fit when Stoick ransacked him with accusations."

Hiccup flushed bright red and shuffled on the spot awkwardly, "Well, I was taking Merida to the physician, but then the we went to the healer's instead."

Gobber gleamed, his eyes twinkled with mischief, "You hitting' it off already eh?"

A bright red blush cascaded across his face as he gulped. Merida face palmed herself in utter annoyance. Cedric tutted, but immediately zipped his mouth shut when Merida shot him a death glare. Hiccup sighed, reached out for his apron and tied it around himself before trudging off back to the private workshop at the back of the smithy. Gobber gave him a cheeky pat on the back and winked at Merida. The shudder that went down her spine indicated her intention to avoid Gobber from now on.

Outside, the laughter was impeccable. Music had started chiming and loud rants and monologues were reenacted in the most dramatic voice. Curiosity tickled Merida. She wondered whether Jack was still there with the feathered lady and she wanted to know if Jack remembered her from the night before. With Baby Tooth in her hands, Merida decided, screw patience.

Passing by the markets and small businesses along with the longing scent of breakfast, Merida heard her stomach grumble in protest. The well wasn't as crowded as it was in the morning, especially since the bantering grey haired man wasn't present. Neither was the feathered woman or Jack which disappointed Merida quite a bit. The moment Merida came out of the smithy, it was like the village silenced itself. The hustle bustle of the morning had died down and Merida was greeted with quiet smiles and waves.

One of the markets sold apples. They gleamed red and green, Merida reached out for one, only to be smacked by the old lady who sold them. She eyed Merida like a hawk as she walked away. One of the villagers took pity on her and handed her a carrot which he picked from his farm. Merida smiled gratefully and chowed down, getting carrot juices everywhere around her mouth. Whilst Merida took her last bite, Baby Tooth blinked as it woke from its trance, its wings automatically started buzzing. With a delighted smile, it hovered over Merida's palm, clapping vigorously.

"Aye that's it!" Merida cheered as Baby Tooth zoomed from her hand and around Merida's head.

Baby Tooth zipped off without looking back. Merida rushed after it, her hands gripping her long green dress she had worn yesterday as she sprinted. Dust puffed up behind her which left trail marks on the ground and a line of coughing passersby.

"Hey, wait!"

Merida halted in front of a simple wooden house that looked like cabin. Made by large logs, and an untidy thatched roof, it appeared fragile and unstable. The house was secluded from the rest of the village much like Gothel's tower, but unlike the tower, this house didn't stand out. Rather, it camouflaged into the tree trunks and was covered by decaying hedges. It appeared barren.

"Baby Tooth!" Merida called, her hand acting as a voice enhancer, "Baby Tooth?!"

The response was silence. A wash of dread came over Merida. Frantically, she dashed up to the front door of the house and banged loudly on it. When there was no reply, she diverted her attention to the window which had wooden planks nailed onto it. There was a large and deep crack long the knot of the wood. Peering in, Merida could make out a dark room with nothing but beds and a bar. It wasn't to say the house was small, it was rather big, so there were rows and rows of beds. All were neat and tidy and the bar bare. Inside the house, Merida spotted Baby Tooth hovering over the shelves behind the bar. It was dipping its fingers in some sort of jar. There was a door beside the bar that Merida hadn't noticed until a silhouette strolled in.

"What are you doing?"

Merida jumped up in shock, "What, nothing… Actually, I'm lookin' for a little bird the size of this… And it's in there!" Merida struggled to explain herself, her arms flailing around randomly, "It looks like…" she looked up, "A lot like you actually."

The feathered woman was standing in front of Merida in her full glory. Feathers shimmered like sapphires under the sun. There was a pair of insect-like wings attached to her back, and abnormally deep purple eyes stared back at Merida in question. The woman took off her head gear and a long albino hair fell to her shoulders. Feeling uncomfortable under interrogating eyes, Merida puffed up her chest.

"Give it back!" Merida demanded, trying to suppress the feeling of inferiority and awe due to the woman's beauty.

Eyes widened, the woman blinked, "Baby Tooth isn't yours."

"Wait, how do you know Baby Tooth?!"

"Because Baby Tooth's her's," a voice interrupted.

A faint buzzing stopped by Merida's ear as she realised Baby Tooth was perched on her shoulder. Slowly, Merida inhaled deeply as the drumming inside her wouldn't stop, and turned around to put the face to the voice.

Jack was leaning lazily against the old door frame, his arms crossed over his chest. A prominent smirk on his face and a raised eyebrow greeted Merida. He had the unusually shaped staff-like stick at the crook of his elbow which was sharp at the end. Barefoot covered in dirt and soil, Jack looked like he was out hunting. The woman coughed awkwardly and eyed Jack in objection.

His cheeky demeanor dropped, he strolled up to Merida, "Look, our services are at night," he paused, a sly grin stretched on his face, "Unless you want to do it now, I don't mind."

The woman groaned, "Jack!"

Jack laughed, "What? I'm only teasing her," he immediately turned to Merida with a mock serious face and whispers "Ignore Tooth, but seriously, come, midnight. I'll be there."

He winked before distancing himself from Merida who was about as red as her hair by then. Tooth rolled her eyes and sauntered past them and into the house. She left the door open, and Merida could see Tooth pulling out a couple of sheets of paper from the top shelf. Jack smiled at Merida and held his hand out, "I'm Jack."

Merida cast her eyes away, "I know."

Jack blinked, his eyebrows knitted together, "You do? Didn't know I was _that_ popular."

Chuckling, Merida tried to avoid snorting out loud like she usually did when she laughed boisterously, "Haha aye, I'm Merida."

Recognition flashed in Jack's eyes, "You, you're the girl from the other night!"

Merida nodded, feeling tongue-tied. Jack was beaming like a lightbulb, he swiftly grabbed Merida's wrist and dragged her into the house. Yelping, Merida stumbled ungracefully over the bumps of the wooden floorboards. Baby Tooth went flying onto a metal part of the bed. Tooth gasped and rushed over to her kindred spirit and cupped it soothingly in her hands. Jack awkwardly rubbed the back of his head in apology, "Sorry, got a little carried away."

Trying to ease the awkward atmosphere, Jack hurriedly pulled out a poster from behind the shelf and opened it up fully. It was covered in finger marks and coloured paint that Merida couldn't make out the words O and N as the letters were smeared like splattered stains.

"I know it looks childish, but that's my artistic talent so...Welcome to Overland's Brothel!" he introduced in slightly too much enthusiasm.

He patted Tooth on the shoulder, "This is our top entertainer slash hostess in this village," he smiled proudly as Tooth brushed him off casually, but she was smiling from ear to ear as Jack praised her.

Quietly, she said, "Bunny might need help out at the markets. I don't want him starting a fight again."

Jack laughed, "Bunnymund? Not starting a fight? That's not possible."

Tooth glared at him playfully, "Well, he can try," she paused for effect before she turned sinister, "If he doesn't I swear those chickens he has… I'll kidnap every single one of them."

"Yeah, yeah, and he'll have no eggs and that will push him to the point where he'll lose hope in everything," Jack mimicked sarcastically, only to get a light punch on the face by Tooth.

Merida stood cluelessly as she witnessed the banter. She fiddled with the edges of her dress and grimaced at the sight of dried up mud and patches of dirt smeared all over the hems. She watched as Tooth pulled up her feathered costume, folded the sheets of paper and sauntered out to find Bunnymund. When the door closed with a light pat, Merida could hear loud thumping. Jack on the other hand was happy just to disarray the nicely organised jars and bottles lined up on the shelves.

Sitting on one of the beds closest to the bar, Merida swung her legs back and forth out of sheer habit. Jack glanced at her in question and returned to ransacking the shelf.

"Thanks for taking care of Baby Tooth for me," he murmured as he tried to multitask.

"No, it's okay. It kept me company," Merida said as politely as she could. In her head, she was even trying to recite her mother's constant lectures on princessly etiquette just so she didn't look silly in front of Jack. At that point, she stopped swinging her legs and straightened her back slightly. Little did she know, Jack was watching her from the corners of his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Jack smirked, stopping what he was doing and sat down on the bar.

"Nothing! I was just swinging my legs." _Good one Merida, now I look stupid._

Forcing the negative thought from her mind, she crossed her legs and merely watched as Jack watched her. The silence between them was tense like the turbulence before a storm. There was a light mumble which Merida didn't pick up. She frowned and gave him a questioning glance. He licked his lips and shuffled on the bar as if trying to find a comfortable position.

He stared straight into her eyes, "I honestly think, you are the most attractive woman I've ever seen."

Seconds passed… Merida burst out laughing, she even started snorting, "You've got to be joking!" she wiped her the droplets of tears from her eyes, "We've only just met!"

Jack stared dumbfounded at Merida, "What? Aren't you flattered?!"

Merida shook her head, still shaky from her laughter, "You probably say that to everyone."

He frowned deeply and went silent. Merida's laughter died down as she realised that Jack was actually serious about what he had said. A deep blush gushed up to her neck and face. Everything inside her was screaming and quivering helplessly. Jack blinked as he watched Merida go wide eyed and he bloomed bright red too. They both looked like red berries in a mass of brown logs and branches. Baby Tooth even began giggling to itself despite trying to remain invisible.

"I-I have to go now," Merida hastily stood up and rushed to the door.

"Wait!" Jack quickly leaped after her, but she had already hurried off back to the main centre of the village. Only her muddy footsteps remained.

* * *

Before Jack, never ever in her life had Merida ever succumbed to the acts of cowardice. However, it seemed this time it was more appropriate to run than to confront. Feeling the mixture of the tingling sensation of butterflies and tar-like dread, Merida half ran half stumbled through the village. She tripped on the ends of her dress and tumbled face first into the dirt. Never ever in her life, had such emotions ever blurred her vision and pulled her to the very essence of timidness.

It was then, when Merida questioned what she was doing. What _was_ she doing? When did she become so, so suppressed? Where had the old Merida gone? The one who spoke out loud, the one who demanded to marry when she was ready. The one who fought for what was fair and what was right. Yet, here she was, wallowing on the dirty ground in front of the people who didn't even know she was their princess. Uncertain of everything and everyone around her.

Her marriage to Mathias was still intact. The prince still believed she was locked away in the castle. So, these feelings she had for Jack was, although not unfathomable, it was delirious and considered dirty. Forcing every emotion back, Merida lifted herself up from the ground. A figure blocked the sun from her view and wrapped their arms around her waist, hoisting her up.

"Hey, what do ya think you're doing, mate?"

Merida laughed airily, "I don't know."

The grey haired man raised his eyebrow, "Well, she's certainly a goner this one."

In the distance, Merida saw a blur that was Hiccup limping out in panic, "Hiccup!" Merida beamed in a carefree manner as she waved her arms around.

Hiccup breathed heavily, "A-Are you okay? No great injuries? Oh my god, Artair's going to kill me."

"What do you mean- Oh," Merida inspected her angry, red wounded elbow and winced, "It's just a scratch."

"JUST A SCRATCH?!" Hiccup raged, dusting his hands on his apron, he grabbed Merida's hand and forcibly pulled her to the smithy.

The grey haired man merely watched in amusement and waved. He then returned to scowling at any onlookers from the crowd. As the crowd gathered in front of her, Merida saw a glimpse of Tooth's bright feathers among the mass of people as she soothed them and the grey-head who yelled alongside her like a guard dog. At that point, Merida was pulled too far away to see them anymore or to notice the head of white frantically calling out her name.

* * *

The castle was quiet. Annette was aimlessly collecting the dishes of King Gallach and his son, Mathias. Casual conversation was not something that was common in the Gallach family and Mathias was trying and failing to amuse his father with his jokes about the day's practice. The King was a private person, even towards his son. Behind a thin thatched veil which was hung from the ceiling, it separated the King from his followers. Hence, Mathias only ate with the presence of his father's shadow and silhouette.

"And do you know what he had said father?!" Mathias laughed wholeheartedly, "Father? Father, what's wrong?"

Gallach's gruff voice grumbled from behind the veil, "How's that young lass doing for ya?"

Mathias stopped breathing altogether, "Merida? She's fine. Why?"

There was a brief tense silence before Gallach tapped his fingers on the metal dining table, "You don't talk much about her that's why. That DunBroch's kid really that ugly that you can't even do her?"

Mathias choked on his food, "W-What?!"

"You said that your impudence can be overcome because you were _in love_ with that brat. You haven't said a thing since her arrival a year ago."

_"Mathias, we can't. I don't love you, you don't love me. This is only a marriage to protect our kingdoms. I know who you're really in love with."_

"Well, it's because she's not ready," Mathias lied through his teeth, picking at his food as he avoided facing his father, "Besides she's only eighteen, there's still ti-"

"SILENCE!"

The roar echoed in the stony room. Mathias flinched, his lips quivered in fear.

Gallach leaned closer to the veil, "Did you at least take care of the mongrel?"

_"It's a nice room… Mathias, what are you doing?! Mathias! You can't lock me up in here, I'm the kingdom's princess! You can't do this. MATHIAS!"_

"Yes, I believe I did."

* * *

Hey there :). This one's not as slow paced as the previous chapters, but I thought that with Merida's personality and Jack's occupation, patience wasn't really their forte haha. So... flirting everywhere. The line "You are the most attractive woman I've ever seen" is actually from 'The Deep Blue Sea' by Terence Davies (watched it and thought, holy moley...), and I thought it was an awesome pickup line for Jack ;D. About Tooth, I've read in an article that albinos can have purple eyes, hence Tooth is now albino in 3COD.  
_*This was a M rated fic, but due to my awkwardness, and inability to write smut *giggles*, I decided to make it T rated instead._  
**Replies:  
**A Guest P: Thank you so much :). I didn't want to rush into it... but in this chap, it didn't want _nothing _to happen so... yeah lol.  
Mewster7: Thanks :D. I'll keep going with this *fingers crossed*  
Ingrid: You changed your name and confused the hell outta me man! Yeah, I really like Pitch and Gothel as a couple... It's just like they can cause chaos and destruction together.  
Thank you for reading, reviewing and all that :). You guys give me hope :P


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

It was a waning moon that night. The room was cold as the wind reminded everyone that winter was on its way. Cuddled up in a ball of woollen blankets, Merida sat against the wall on her bed. She stared absentmindedly at the moon which peeked over the neighbour's house's roof. The candle beside her flickered whenever a medium breeze gushed by.

A quiet knock on the door interrupted Merida's trance. The door creaked as Artair stepped into the room. He held a blue glowing lantern, inside seemed to be a blue flame knocking on its glass cage. Merida merely turned her head as Artair pulled out a chair from under the messy study table and placed the lantern gently down. Sitting a few metres away from Merida, he crouched forward and twiddled with his thumbs before opening his mouth. Merida just sat there with anticipation and curiosity.

"About this morning," he began, looking at everything except Merida, "I apologise for my rude behaviour, but as you can see, being a blacksmith is not exactly an easy job."

Merida blinked, "And what made you think I was upset?"

He finally turned his eyes towards her, "Well, you stomped off somewhere and then got yourself injured," he clarified in an 'a matter of fact' tone.

"I certainly did not stomp!" Merida exclaimed dramatically, the blankets drooped from her head. There was a pause and the crickets outside grew unhelpfully louder. Merida wrapped the blankets around her more securely and stared at her big toe which popped out from under the blankets, "Why am I here?"

When he didn't reply, Merida grew fidgety, "I was locked up in a castle like a _damsel in distress_ and now that I've 'temporarily' escaped, I don't have my bow and arrow, and I am _invisible_ to my own people!" Merida pursed her lips and bit her tongue, "I deserve to know what's going on."

The only sound that came from Artair was an exasperated sigh. He rubbed his temples, "You're not ready yet," he said bluntly, "None of us are actually."

Without uttering another word, he got up and trudged to the door as if he had given up on life. Merida sat agape, her mouth hung open like she was paralysed in a permanent state of shock. As the door closed quietly, Merida grabbed the closest thing next to her and launched it at the door frame. The pillow slid pathetically onto the floor and lay sadly beside the door. Hugging her knees, Merida rested her forehead on them as she breathed deeply. The breeze outside gushed past which sent Merida almost off the bed and basically exterminated the fire on the candle.

Sea blue engulfed the room. Artair had forgotten to take the lantern, and it glowed like a million fireflies had been crammed inside it. Merida winced, her arms covered most of her face from the brightness of the light as she kicked off the blankets and crept closer towards it. It began whispering and the flickering of the fire caused the light to waver which created waves and ripples in the light.

Carefully, Merida gripped the top of the lantern and wedged the glass door open. She grabbed a cloth and the stale cup of water from the table, ready to extinguish the fire. Closer and closer, she was about to dab the fire until it whispered hoarsely and vanished. Merida gasped, tossed the cloth aside and spun around, her eyes examined the room. Out on the window, the blue fire glimmered against the shadows outside. It whispered yet again and danced on the spot. Gradually, another flame appeared, and another, and another. Eventually there was a long line of blue individual flames lined up from Merida's window.

"Wisps…" she breathed.

Feeling the chill prickle her skin, Merida hastily grabbed the blanket and wrapped it over her shoulders and hugged it against her. From the window, Merida stared down. There was a cart full of hay underneath and a long ledge that stuck out from the smithy. Closer to her, there was a clothes line made of rope. Merida breathed in and breathed out before she crouched out the window and jumped onto the rope. Unable to balance, she frantically waved her arms about, only to slip and fall violently onto the edge of the ledge. Crying out in pain, Merida fell backwards and landed with a thump onto the hay filled cart which sent hay flying everywhere.

With a pained groan, Merida pushed herself up. Her hair and blanket littered with hay. The bandaged elbow, thankfully, was still intact, but it stung when Merida moved it as she realised she must have knocked it against the wooden ledge during the fall. Blood stained the bandages and against the sleeves of her white night gown. However, the whispers of the Wisps persisted.

Frenetically, Merida rose and followed the Wisps' trail. Into the moonlight, Merida paid no heed to the Wisps that disappeared behind her and thoughtlessly followed them into the ominous woods.

It was odd to hear only the sound of the owl hooting in the spiderweb-like jumble of branches above, and see only a line of dotted blue flames that beckoned in the blackness. Merida clung onto the blanket, and shivered. After a long while walking, tripping over the unseen roots and twigs which scratched her bare feet, Merida could make out a light shimmer of reddish orange fire in the distance behind the trunks of trees. The nearer she got, the more vehement the laughter and cries became.

By then, Merida was perched on a large protruding root of a tree and watched the commotion from behind the trunk. There was a large bonfire where men and women were dancing and laughing. Some of them stumbled, slurred aimlessly, and some walked about like living corpses. Their skin red from either the light of the fire or the capacity of alcohol. Merida spotted the grey haired man from earlier that day, preparing his fiddle and other various instruments. An encouraging cheer erupted from the people around him and he sent them a cocky smile.

The childlike sign that said 'Overland's Brothel' hung awkwardly on top of the entrance. Merida couldn't help but chuckle at that. Silently, Merida slipped from behind one trunk to another till she was able to hide by the side of the brothel. Unfortunately, Merida could hear the screams and moans of the clients on the other side of the wall, and that made her turn bright pink. She pulled the blanket over her head, covered her ears as well, and tried not to whimper as she walked on the rocky and hard ground with bleeding feet.

Searching around, the Wisps had vanished. On her own, Merida went out into the open, surprised by the fact that nobody took notice of her. Calmly, Merida reached the entrance. She eyed the sign before taking a deep breath and pushed the door into the brothel.

It was extremely loud inside. Fortunately for Merida, who was inexperienced in the world of intercourse, there were long, thick, dull cream veils that hung from ropes situated near the ceiling. This covered most of what was happening from other customers. Merida spied the bar and half limped half waddled towards it. Behind it was a stout, blond man with spiked up hair which resembled ten triangles along his scalp. He was wiping a clay mug with a rag and was nodding vigorously at the brunette man who sat in front of him.

Merida sat one seat away from the man, and kept the blanket over her head. She stared absently at the shelves that were now organised. Bottles among bottles of wine and other alcoholic beverages lined up on the shelves alongside small baskets of sweets and sacks of things Merida didn't want to know. Out of nowhere a wonky, hand made looking glass was put in front of her.

The blond haired man from before gave her a chubby smile. He did some hand gestures and Merida stared cluelessly at him. His shoulders dropped and his expression bemused, he pulled out from under the bar some paper and charcoal. He scribbled on it, a beach with an arrow pointing to the coast and beside it a picture of an averagely drawn man. When he was done, he pushed it to Merida.

"Sand..? You like the sea?" Merida tried which only resulted in the man face palming himself. He gently placed a finger on Merida and then placed it on himself. He mouthed something and Merida tried again, "So it's your name?"

The man nodded eagerly, a smile stretched broadly on his face. Happy that she was on the right track, Merida proceeded to guess, "Sand… Sand… Man?"

He tilted his hand, which was flat in the air, side to side indicating she was close. Fervently, he swooped under the bar again and pulled out three sheets of paper and began scribbling again. This time he sketched a picture of the sun and then drew a bold arrow linking it to the other picture of the man. Merida bit her lip and thought long and hard until the brunette man beside her interjected.

"Look, as much as it's entertaining watching you two struggle to communicate…" he turned to Merida with amused eyes, "His name is Sanderson, just call him Sandy. Oh, and must I say, aren't you the looker," he cat meowed and sent her flirtatious eyes. Merida wheezed on the inside.

Sandy glared at him, retrieved his sketches back, placed them under the bar and resumed his job, cleaning the jugs and mugs. Merida sent the man beside her a disapproving glance and was about to leave, but he gripped onto her arm and forced her sit down, "I'm Rider. Flynn Rider," a cocky grin greeted Merida.

"I'm not in the mood to talk to you," Merida replied blatantly as she shifted away from him on her stool, yet Flynn continued to cling onto her, "What is it-"

She turned her head and came face to face with Flynn doing some sort of cute face impression of a puppy that Merida thought seemed more like a horse with bowel problems. He only proceeded to get closer to Merida with that face and Merida cried out. Without realising it, she felt her fist collide with Flynn's cheekbone. Then there was the sound of Flynn crashing to the floor, and a deathly silence as the clients stopped their activities to see what had happened.

Sandy covered his mouth in shock and concern before rushing over to Flynn. He hoisted Flynn up and dragged the man into a room beside the shelves. That meant all eyes were on Merida, and she felt hot blood explode in her cheeks.

The people outside probably heard them too, well heard the unusual silence that shouldn't be there at a brothel, and the grey haired man stormed in. His small eyes skimmed the room and landed on Merida was sitting awkwardly beside a fallen stool, trying not to appear guilty. Unfortunately, the clients who had their heads popped out from behind the veil all pointed accusingly at Merida.

"You, loony one from the markets! I can see your red hair from under 'em blankets!" he pointed out as he stomped over, "Ya causing trouble 'round here are ya?!"

As he confronted her, Merida raised from her seated position and narrowed her eyes. They stood inches apart with domineering auras, "He brought it upon himself!" Merida exclaimed.

Bright green eyes flashed dangerously, "You do realise what this place is about do ya, Firehead?"

Merida glared, "I do, but he should at least back away if a woman said no," she hissed, her arms crossed, "Makes sense huh, Rat-face."

The man's eye widened dramatically, "What did you call me, Bonfire?" he leaned in menacingly, "My name's Aster Bunnymund. I ain't no rat."

"Says the man with buck teeth," Merida retorted.

Just as things started to get aggressive, Jack burst in from the other room, "Stop, STOP!"

Bunnymund growled, "This loony here is stirrin' up a commotion. I'm tryin' to get my stuff prepared, but no, Miss. Bonfire here had to cause a problem!"

Merida felt rage bubble inside her, but also a thumping feeling in her chest intermingled. With the blanket still over her head, Merida pulled it down, revealing the state it was in. A single gasp came from the audience, but it was immediately dissipated. Jack heaved a loud sigh and looked at her in thought while Bunnymund just tapped his foot on the ground in impatience.

"So what ya gonna do with her, Frost boy."

With pleading eyes, Merida gazed at Jack. He heaved yet another sigh, "Fine, do you have any payment?" Jack asked, his eyes slightly more tolerant and gentle than before.

"No…" Merida shook her head, feeling more and more like a nuisance, "I can pay tomorrow?"

Jack chuckled, he grabbed her wrists and pulled her away from the disbelieving eyes of Bunnymund, "It's fine, I was only joking with you," he pulled her into the room where Flynn was dragged into, "Just stay here, I'm doing some work," he hesitated for a minute, "And don't run away this time."

Merida nodded in understanding and felt a pang of guilt, but ignored it and focused on exploring the room she was in.

The room was relatively small. There was a desk crammed in the corner with a large candle sitting beside a pile of paper. Next to the desk was a stack of paintings, a cage of baby chicks sleeping on a bundle of cloth, and some books scattered in the corner. There was a blue wool rug on the floor and a low table placed on top of it. Four beds were situated on the other side of the room, one was where Flynn was lying unconscious with Sandy caring for him. There wasn't much in the room other than that and the ridiculous amount of teeth contained in jars lined up in a towering bookshelf by the beds. Merida sat on the other side near the door and watched Sandy tuck Flynn in as if the man was a child.

Jack was tediously doing his work on the desk. The piles of paper made him look childlike and out of place. Merida couldn't help but laugh to herself at the sight. Jack stared at her in question, his eyebrow raised and a cheeky smile on his face. Sandy turned around and blinked. He examined her and jumped up in fright. Merida cocked her head, looked down at her cracked and blood dry feet, and felt stinging wash over her legs.

Abandoning all his work, Jack rushed over to her, "Shit, I didn't see you were injured!"

"No, it's fine-"

"Sandy, get the bandages and some ointment!" Jack ordered. Sandy quickly went to get the items while Jack massaged around the wounds and pulled out a cloth from his pocket and patted the wet patches of blood off, "I think you might need to see a healer or physician."

Merida groaned, "What?! But I already saw the healer today!"

Jack chuckled, "Will you go if I go with you?"

Red matted across Merida's face, "What makes you think I'll go if you do?" she said stubbornly, "Besides, it's just a scratch."

"Uhh, I would say there's multiple scratches," Jack laughed quietly, "You came like I told you to," a smirk formed on his face, "Come, midnight," he recalled a grin so evident on his face it made Merida shift uncomfortably on her seat.

"T-That was a coincidence!" Merida defended herself without much success as Jack gave her a knowing look before Sandy returned with a small bottle of ointment and a roll of bandages.

Cold hands rubbed the ointment over Merida's feet. She pulled the blankets around her closer, Jack jerked his head up at her action,"Oh, sorry, my hands are weirdly colder than everybody else's," he laughed to himself, but continued to gently dab ointment on the wounds.

Sandy returned to Flynn, but seeing that he was okay, Sandy decided to take a nap on the bed beside Flynn's one. Eventually, he escaped to the world of dreams and left Jack and Merida alone. They didn't say anything to each other as Jack began to wrap the rough bandages around Merida's feet. In the midst of his concentration, he didn't realise Merida reach out for his hair.

He snapped out of his trance when he felt a warm hand run through his hair.

"Is this real?" Merida questioned in wonder.

"What? This romantic moment we're having, or my hair?" Jack teased, still carefully wrapping her non wrapped foot, "I guess this could be a thing," he said slyly.

Her hand froze, "No Jack, I'm married I can't."

There was no response from Jack as he finished wrapping up her feet. He didn't say a word to her and avoided her eyes until he put away the ointment away on his desk. He looked at her with a blank and polite expression, "You can stay here for the night if you want. We'll go to the healer tomorrow morning."

With that, he returned to his pile of paper and scribbled over them. Feeling the awkward tension between them, Merida obeyed despite the urge to retaliate and wobbled to the bed next to Sandy. Merida glanced at Jack, but he continued to ignore her and worked constantly. She slipped into the bed sheets, her elbow stiff from the dried up blood soaked up by her bandages, and snuggled into her blanket and the bed sheets as well before she laid down.

However, sleep wasn't on her side. Merida felt the itchiness of the hay lightly scraping her scalp causing a tickling sensation. With her back turned towards Jack, she gathered up her courage, "Jack…"

The scribbling stopped briefly, "What?"

Merida gulped, she didn't know what to ask, "Why do you own a brothel?"

Jack didn't reply for a while, resuming his scribbling until he put the sharpened charcoal down, "I don't know, you better ask my father. Though he's not here anymore," he said casually, "Why?"

Shrugging, Merida still had her back to Jack, "I've never been to a brothel before. Father always told me not to, and my husband didn't allow me either," Merida knew she was treading on thin ice here, "Though I didn't know why 'till now."

"My father always prided in his work," Jack announced, Merida could hear him get out of his chair and walk to the door, "And I've always been invisible until now," there was a hint of bitterness in his tone, "Don't go around forcing your opinions on me."

After that, Merida heard the door close shut, leaving her to wallow in her own misery.

* * *

Back at the castle, Annette was eavesdropping on a conversation regarding King Gallach's next plan on invasion. So far, the only progress that has occurred was Gallach's intention to invade Burgess which was the kingdom situated beside Berk. Gallach had caused terror on Berk, drove the people out and set the whole kingdom on fire, leaving the ground desolate. According to Annette's sources, almost all of the people from Berk were killed or sold into slavery.

This incident had caused alarm throughout the country. Ironically, this also caused issues within the kingdom too as more and more foreigners sort to become citizens of Gallach's kingdom in order to stay out of the King's wrath. This posed a problem as competition within the kingdom rose. Annette preferred to steer away from politics, but due to her Uncle's ambitions, she persevered.

She hid silently in the guest room next door where a crack was conveniently there. She rested her ear against the crack and frowned.

"But Sire, Burgess is ripe for the picking!" the general said as he tried not to sound too annoyed, "You know, Prince Mathias will not concede with your ambitions to invade DunBroch. Not whilst the Princess is here."

"Will you shut your trap?!" Gallach yelled.

The general said nothing after that and Gallach dismissed him. After a while, tapping could be heard and a man strolled in. He spoke with an educated accent and a slight seductive purr. Curious, Annette peeked her through the crack. A grey skinned, black cloaked man stood like a shadow in the dull room. Gallach who had veil over his face, but had brown wiry hair uncovered greeted the man with great eagerness, for Gallach that was. Annette stared wide eyed as they conversed.

"Kozmotis Pitchiner," Gallach greeted.

"Oh please," the man laughed darkly, "Kozmotis is dead. It's Pitch Black."

Gallach laughed with Pitch and ushered him to sit down, "What brings you here?"

Pitch crossed his legs and took a cup of tea from the table of the room, "I'm here for a favour."

"A favour," Gallach queried in disbelief, "I thought you preferred to work alone?"

"I do, but you see," Pitch leered, taking a sip from his cup, "One of the villagers have something that belongs to me. Now, I can't just barge in there, as much as I desire to, that would waste precious time and energy."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I need you to retrieve it for me," Pitch stated, "Do you know the girl with bright red hair, blatantly Scottish in heritage and walks like an uneducated adolescent boy?"

Annette inhaled sharply as realisation dawned on Gallach. Pitch merely sat there sipping his tea and staring in demand at the King. Annette panicked as Gallach mumbled 'Merida' under his breath and violently rose from his seat which sent the table toppling to the floor. Pitch raised his nonexistent eyebrow and smirked.

"I presume it's someone you do know then?" he drawled.

In a raging fit, Gallach yelled, "MATHIAS GALLACH GET DOWN HERE NOW!"

Feeling dread run through her veins, Annette rushed towards the door. She opened it it only be confronted by a curly, black haired woman with a dagger in her hand which aimed at Annette.

"Where do you think you're going darling?"

* * *

Hey there :D. I've been re-reading the previous chapters... them typos and mistakes.. *cringe*. On a more optimistic note, I'm happy to say that Bunnymund, Sandman, Eugene/Flynn have made their appearance! YAY! Anyway, Jack and Merida already have their little fight, though I wouldn't say is too unexpected seeing that their personalities and backgrounds are rather different here... Pitch is as always, an arsehole and I pathetically enjoy writing the parts with him in it T.T.  
**Replies:  
**Rae: That is a very helpful suggestion! Thank you :), but the only person I know that can write smut without being awkward is the person I'm writing 3COD for, and that would spoil everything for her haha. But thank you for suggesting it though :D. In regards to reading the more experienced erotica writer's stuff... Maybe I should stop skipping those parts of the story eh? *Feels embarrassed by my own immaturity*  
amazonefighter: I plan to continue it :D. Thank you for reviewing :)  
Guests 1 + 2: Thank you for reviewing!  
P.S. By the way, I'll be posting weekly, usually on Sunday (Aussie time) :). Thank you for reading and all that!


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